23rd December 2018

This morning's sermon, based upon Luke 1.39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly; 
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty. 
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy, 
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

This gospel reading is something is rare and so magnificent that it makes my heart want to burst. Two named female characters are interacting with each in the bible. As a woman, to read this is so affirming and empowering. Only 86 women speak in the whole of the bible, and nearly half of them are unnamed, only 8% of named bible characters are women.

It’s understandable that the bible has come to us in this form, it was formed in a patriarchal society where woman were essentially property and commodities, then we have two thousand years of male-dominated church life.

And two thousand years of this story being interpreted through the male gaze. Now we each interpret things out of who we are and where we are, where we’re standing is our lens into the world but for so long women weren’t in a position to be scholars, teachers and theologians.

This means that so much of our inherited church history, theology and doctrines have come almost solely from a male perspective. This hasn’t always worked out so well for us women. We’ve been taught that our place is second to a man’s; our needs, thoughts and feelings are second.

This can be uncomfortable hearing in our modern, more liberal world but one which I think will resonate with the women of our community.

In tradition this is the story of Mary meek and mild, obedient to God’s will, meeting her cousin Elizabeth, equally obedient, her only longing to be a mother. Two perfect examples of godly, dutiful women. But that’s not the story I see. The story I see is so much better than that.

Elizabeth, the older cousin, has had to endure so much. Her worth in her society has been measured by her ability to bear her husband’s children, and she’s failed. She knows she is more than that, has so much more to give the world, but this is the role carved out for her and she’s been made to feel ashamed by it.

Then, the miracle happens, after so long, and she’s terrified. She knows the odds, the risk to her own life and the child. Her age is very much against her.

Mary is at the opposite end of the scale- a teenager expected to be a virgin for her husband on her wedding day. The whispers have already started, there’s something going on between her and Joseph, looks like the wedding might need to be brought forward if you know what I mean.

I don’t seek Mary as meek and mild but ridiculously strong, she’s probably barely older than my daughter, she knew having a child might cause Joseph to abandon her and she would then have her community shun and shame her as an unwed mother.

The narrative today brings these two strong, faithful women together, Elizabeth overwhelmed at the realisation that her teenage cousin is carrying the messiah. This young girl had the creator of the universe within her. In the orthodox tradition she is the Theotokos, God-barer.

As Mary and Elizabeth embrace each other, their shared bond doesn’t leave them speechless as out of Mary’s lips comes one of the most powerful and enduring songs in all of scripture. She sings of God’s greatness, her own blessedness and of God’s thirst for justice and equality. In this we see why God would choose Mary to guide and parent his son. She knows God, understands God’s character and drive, she gets it in a way that the male priests, scribes and pharisees- those revered by society- never will.

I also want to be clear that these women have agency in their stories. If they had said “no” to God it would have been very different. They knew that they were letting themselves in for some potentially very trouble times. So why did they do it? Because they trusted God, because they saw a bigger picture, and because if God thought they were capable of doing this then just maybe God was right. That had trust and faith.

Women are still far less likely to push ourselves forward for promotions and pay rises, less likely to talk ourselves up, say what we’re good at, less likely to think “I can do that”. Men, statistically are more likely to wing it, take a chance, not sure if they can do something but they’ll give it a go.

The still present gender biases in media, reporting, schools, our very conversations with each other still promote this. We tell a girl she’s pretty instead of smart, we tell a boy to be strong instead of saying it’s ok to feel.

In Marianne Williamson’s magnificat, her celebration of God-breathed humanity she says:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

This is what Elizabeth and Mary do, they shine. They become the women, the people, God knows they can be. And this is what’s asked of each of us. God wants us- needs us- to shine; wherever we are and whoever we are, no matter what our gender. God tells Mary and Elizabeth they’re amazing and they don’t brush it off with modesty, they accept it and they own it. They believe in God and they trust God. And they change the world.

The central Advent narrative that has struck me this year is that God is before all things, after all things and within all things. Each molecule of creation contains a divine spark, and that includes us, a spark that’s just waiting to be acknowledged so it can become a flame, and that flame wants to shine for all to see. So my friends, go and shine, be fabulous, be who God intends you to be in this world.

Amen.